Court allows gay marriage in SC

A federal court has cleared the way for gay couples to be married in South Carolina. On Tuesday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied state Attorney General Alan Wilson’s request to block the marriages while it hears his appeal. Wilson immediately said he would seek a stay with the U.S. Supreme Court. He said it is likely the high court will take up the issue and so the appeals ruling does not end his obligation to defend the state constitutional ban on same-sex marriages. Last week, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel, ruling in a Charleston case, tossed out the ban and ordered state officials to stop enforcing it. He gave the state until noon on Thursday to appeal.